Almost every single author makes at least a few book marketing mistakes. It’s almost part of the territory now. If you write a book, you have to market it yourself. And very few authors are marketing experts.
So, what’s an author to do?
It seems like every step you take is loaded with major obstacles to success. We recommend that before you publish your book you put together a marketing plan. That’s the best place to start. Even if you’ve already published your book, now is the time to look at where you are and come up with a plan.
Finding success and bringing home those book sales start with building your marketing plan. After that, it’s a matter of executing your plan.
If you don’t have a plan, well, you’ll be trying everything and nothing and wondering why you aren’t getting sales.
While there are a million things that you could include in your plan, we’re going to help you identify the biggest mistakes, problems, and errors that you need to avoid.
We’ve dug around for the best articles. Below are the bullet point highlights from three of the best articles. Read through these lists, and if you’re uncertain about any of the points, read the article. Plus, if you want a bit more insight into how not to make any of these mistakes, the articles each provide explicit solutions.
8 Most Common Book Marketing Mistakes Authors Make
From Author Marketing Experts
- Not really knowing your market
- Not understanding your genre
- Not having an editor
- Not using a professional cover designer
- Not having a website
- Starting your book marketing too late
- Delaying writing/publishing your next book
- Publishing to make money or pay bills
10 Biggest Book Marketing Mistakes You Need to Stop Making
From BookBub
- Believing in sleeper hits
- Being afraid of the Sales Bogeyman
- Talking to everyone the same way
- Treating ad platforms as identical
- Thinking too far outside the box
- Spreading yourself too thin
- Listening to our Inner Artist when it comes to business
- Forgetting that reader targeting is about more than ads
- Focusing too much on discovery
- Marketing all the time
10 Book Marketing Mistakes Every Author Should Avoid
From Mixtus Media
- Marketing Your Book to Anyone and Everyone
- Relying Too Heavily on Bots or Automation Tools
- Spamming Your Readers
- Using Social Media Only As a Sales Tool
- Talking At Your Readers and Not With Them
- Starting Too Late
- Only Using Your Newsletter to Promote Your New Book
- Not Having a Plan in Place
- Trying to Do Everything
- Focusing Only on the Numbers
Best Book Monkey’s Insights
Book marketing can feel absolutely overwhelming to most authors. Pitfalls are everywhere. Sadly, many authors never ever begin to attempt to market their books. With more than an estimated 4,000 books published each day, your book will be lost if you don’t take marketing seriously.
Taking some time to consider, plan, and execute a marketing plan will set you apart from most authors.
One of the most important elements is your attitude toward marketing. If you see it as a huge drag and an unnecessary burden, then you’ll likely fail. If you approach it with the same intensity and passion that you used writing your book, then you’re much more likely to succeed.
As any experienced marketer can tell you, ain’t nothing ever perfect when it comes to marketing.
Just remember that doing something is better than doing nothing. You’re going to make some book marketing mistakes. It’s part of the process. Be sure to learn as you go.
Feeling honest and willing to share? Please use the comment below to share your biggest marketing mistake. If it’s something you overcame, please share that too!!!